Ben Martin, 83, Coach Of Air Force Football Team

Published: August 1, 2004

Ben Martin, who coached the Air Force Academy football team from 1958 to 1977 and reached three bowl games, died July 24 in Colorado Springs. He was 83.

Martin's death was announced by the academy. He had recently had a heart attack, Troy Garnhart, the academy's assistant athletic director for media relations, told The Associated Press.

When Martin became the coach at Air Force, he took over a fledgling football program, the academy's first class having entered in July 1955 at temporary facilities at Lowry Air Force Base in Denver. The football team had been coached by Buck Shaw during its first two seasons.

Martin's first Air Force team, containing members of the academy's first senior class, went 9-0-1 in the regular season, then played a 0-0 tie with Texas Christian in the Cotton Bowl, and remains the only undefeated squad in the academy's history. Martin's teams also played in the 1963 Gator Bowl, losing to North Carolina by 35-0, and in the 1971 Sugar Bowl, losing to Tennessee by 34-13.

Often featuring a short passing game, Martin had a career record of 96-103-9 at Air Force. After retiring as football coach, he was an analyst for ABC Sports, then was a radio analyst for Air Force football games from 1987 to 2002.

Martin, a native of Prospect Park, Pa., graduated in 1946 from the United States Naval Academy, where he played football and participated in track.

He was an assistant football coach at Navy from 1949 to 1954, then was head football coach at the University of Virginia for two seasons.